


maybe not logically

by AlwaysABitConfused



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Protective Selina Kyle, Smart Tim Drake, Stalker Tim Drake, Tim Drake is Catlad | Stray, Tim Drake-centric, or going to be at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:48:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29474985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysABitConfused/pseuds/AlwaysABitConfused
Summary: Tim just wanted to take a few good pictures, he didn't expect to be adopted.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Selina Kyle
Comments: 2
Kudos: 150





	maybe not logically

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this might turn into a series of little stand-alone fics between 1k and 3k words each,,, idk but i super enjoy stray tim and felt sooo inspired today because my cats are precious and took a nap on my batman hoodie,,, whatever
> 
> im desperate for ideas for little things like this that i can bang out in a couple hours since writing is a lovely little outlet for my little anxiety ridden brain, but everything ive come up with lately gets hugely time intensive lately lmao
> 
> regardless!!! this was just barely edited by me after writing so um sorry if its messy but i had fun and thats basically all i care about?

Logically, Tim knew that Gotham was a dangerous place. He also knew that it was twice as dangerous at night and about double that in Bludhaven. Logically, Tim knew all that.

So it was totally understandable to find twelve year old Timothy Drake in an alley in that very place, at night.

“Now Kitty, are you sure this is where you should be?” Tim’s head shot up at the sound. He watched as a woman in a black suit slid down from a fire escape to stand in front of him. Catwoman, he thought, that’s who it must be, no one else wears ears like that. Tim didn’t move as she came closer to him, slinking forward as she spoke again and speaking in a low voice, “Don’t you know it’s not safe to be out here at night, especially when you're alone and such a little cute thing?”

Tim stayed put and spoke in the voice he usually reserved for when he was at fancy galas, “Yes ma'am, but I don’t think I’m supposed to talk to strangers either.” he kept his face straight, waiting. When she was about ten steps from him he straightened up and darted away, camera tucked into the front of his jacket and zipped in tight.

As he ran, he thought through his situation. Youtube had plenty of videos on photography and getting around the city unnoticed but there wasn't an extensive genre focusing on running away from Gotham’s Rouges, so this was fairly uncharted waters.

Catwoman was fast, but she didn't really need to get him and she probably hadn’t expected him to run away. He also wasn’t exactly a slouch when it came to running and disappearing either. Though she might be curious enough to go after him or keep an eye out for him in the future which could cause a problem for future Tim. 

Actually, the more he thought about it the more likely it seemed like she’d probably take him running away from her as a challenge. Meaning, the chance of her going after him is a good bit more likely, but she could still just get bored when he found a good corner to hide in.

There was also the possibility she just wouldn’t care enough to get him, or she could end up catching up to him before he could hide. Less likely though, the odds seemed to be in his favor now, especially considering he could only barely hear her behind him.

Tim turned down and into the third alley he passed and ran towards the fire escape. He climbed onto the top of the dumpster and jumped up, grabbing on to the metal bar and hoisted himself up onto his stomach as he heard footsteps, light and quick getting closer. Scratch that bit about him having any type of advantage, she was really fast. Keeping low to the ground, he moved towards the window and pressed his hands to the glass, pushing it up. It gave a slight squeak as it opened and he climbed in just as he heard those quick steps turn down his alley. Quickly he pushed down on the top of the window, closing it with a slight squeak that he hoped was covered by her own steps and breathing. He knelt on the dirty carpet, keeping himself pressed tight against the wall and mostly out of view from the alleyway. Watching down into the alley with short, quiet breaths, hoping there wasn't anyone in the apartment tonight. Usually he was able to handle a squatter who would just tell him to scram or someone too out of it to tell left from right but those types of people could be pretty loud, which could be an issue. He shook his head a little and crept up to watch Catwoman.

She stopped running when she reached the dumpster, peering behind it and inside it, “Sweetie, why don’t you come down and we have a little chat about why you’re out here.” When she was met with silence she continued to speak as she looked around the alley, “Sweetie, it’s not safe for someone as cute as you to be out here all alone. At least let me take you home, just so I can make sure no one tries to hurt you.” She walked towards a big stack of crates Tim knew was crawling with stray cats, he held his breath hoping she’d get distracted by Missy's kittens.

He watched as she pushed a crate aside with a quiet scrap against the concrete ground, followed by a sharp hiss from who he assumed was Missy. Hopefully she wouldn’t accidentally knock over the food he’d put there earlier, he didn’t think Missy would’ve eaten all of the dry food all ready. He grinned as Catwoman cooed.

She leaned down and pet Missy's head, much to his surprise as Missy barely let him do that for the first month of knowing her and bringing food. But… she was Catwoman, so he probably shouldn’t have been. She pushed the crate back into place and made her way back to the fire escape. "Sweetie, com'on. I can't just leave you here, Bludhaven is not a safe place for a little thing to be." 

She sighed loudly, before moving towards the fire escape’s ladder. He cursed mentally, she must have figured he’d gone inside. He pressed closer to the wall, keeping himself as far below the window as possible, listening carefully.

The cat was nearly silent as she climbed up the escape. The only sound was the rattling the fire escape made as she moved up it and bits of rusted paint flaking off, quiet enough to be excused as just wind. He held his breath as her shadow fell through the window, watching as it moved up the fire escape and out of sight. 

Relief filled him and he breathed deeply, she hadn’t found him. Tim stayed crouched on the ground and crawled on the floor through the abandoned apartment. Once he was out of sight from the window he stood up, brushing off his jeans and placing one hand on the wall, readying himself to go through the pitch black apartment. He walked carefully, counting his steps and keeping his hand on the wall. At twenty he stepped around the pile of glass, stretching his arm so that only the tips of his fingers brushed the side. At twenty-four he moved closer to the wall to avoid the beaten up recliner, thirty-two and he followed the wall when it turned to the left, at forty he left the wall entirely as light filtered in through the boarded up windows by the front door. He hummed to himself as he walked down the stairs to the door and peeked through the peephole. When he saw nothing immediately he pushed it open and walked out, head down and the hood of his jacket pulled up before he closed the door. Once he passed the alleyway he started to run his way to the bus stop.

Once he got to the bus stop he picked up a newspaper left by someone on the bench he was sitting at. It was from today, or judging by the nagging three-fifteen on his watch, yesterday. Quietly he read while he waited for the bus to pull up, thankful for having made it here within five minutes of the next bus. He’d probably be able to get an hour or two of sleep before needing to get ready for school. Though it would all depend on how long it'll take for him to get to his bike and to ride the rest of the way home. 

When he heard the bus coming down the road he stood up and tossed the paper he was looking over into the trashcan on the end of the bench. He walked over towards the bus and pulled out a few dollar bills. With a small smile to the driver he pushed two bills into the fare box and handed the driver the rest. The driver, a big woman who looked about 30 took them with a smile and gestured for him to find somewhere to sit. Tim nodded and slid into a seat towards the middle of the bus, pulling out his camera and scrolling through the photos he took as a woman boarded. He glanced up, briefly as she sat down in the seat next to him and between the door. She was pretty, tall with a stylish short cut and blue eyes. Not exactly the type you'd expect to find hanging out around Bludhaven, but he’d suppose the same could be said about him.

Tim flipped through his camera, absentmindedly. God did Robin need to put on a pair of pants, it was getting way too cold for anyone to be out in those shorts. He grinned when he scrolled onto a photo of Robin sitting and drawing on the head of a gargoyle in sharpie, seemingly unaware of Batman moving towards him. There was a photo of Batman and Robin both jumping across the top of a building together, a few of the two punching some random people, and Tim's favorite of the night. The photo was perfect, with Robin grinning and Batman with a tight lipped grin, fist bumping in front of the big WE sign on the Wayne Enterprise building. Tim smiled before moving to click delete. That picture would make it way too easy for someone to figure out who they are through a facial recognition program or even just context clues. It was a shame though, it came out clear and was ridiculously fitting. The Bat right in front of his own building.

“Oh don’t get rid of that one, it’s perfect, kitten.”

He jumped up as the bus slowed to a stop, standing frozen in front of the woman. In front of Selina Kyle. Catwoman.

“Crap.”

"Hey kiddo? You getting off here?" Tim looked towards the bus driver, back at Catwoman, and outside.

He felt frozen still, he was caught and still far from home. 

Catwoman smiled warmly and put a hand on his shoulder, “Yes we’ll be getting off here, I just startled him a bit.” The bus driver turned all the way around and she added, “He just wasn’t expecting to see a familiar face sneaking out at night and all.” 

The driver laughed a bit and nodded as she guided him off the bus through the back door.

When his feet hit the ground he thought about running but her grip on his shoulder was too tight. He followed her, not paying much attention, just trying to gather his thoughts.

He came back to himself as she sat him down in a cushioned booth. She sat across from him and signaled for the waiter behind the counter to come to the table. Tim listened faintly as the waiter read off the special, focusing more on the gentle hand holding his across the table.

“We’ll each take the special, a coffee for me and water for him as well please.”

The waiter nodded and headed back to the kitchen.

“Now Kitty, do you want to tell me what you think you were doing out in the city so late at night?” He didn't say anything in response, hoping to melt back into the booth. She huffed out a laugh, “Don’t you know it’s not safe to be out here at night, let alone alone and when you're such a little thing?” 

“I-I well I,” Tim stuttered a little, indignant. He certainly wasn’t that small. “I’m not little!”

“Not the question, Kitten.” she said laughing softly.

Tim straightened up, squaring his shoulders, “I’ve been taking pictures of nocturnal animals around the city.” 

He watched as her lips quirked, forming a slight smile. “Well from what I saw on that camera of yours, I’d say you’ve had a lot of practice. They’re good, from what I saw. I’d love to see some more pictures if you’d let me.”

He flushed. 

Their conversation was interrupted by the waiter returning with heavy plates of pancakes and fruit. They each said thank yous and cut into their food. 

“So, how long’ve you been stalking these ‘nocturnal animals’, Kitty?”

That made Tim laugh a little around the bite of strawberries in his mouth. He swallowed, “I wouldn’t say stalk, I mean I haven’t followed them to their home or anything like that… I just, well I just think they’re neat is all. And not too long.” Two almost three years wasn’t very long when compared to a lot of other things… 

Catwoman laughed and put an arm on his shoulder, “Just neat, huh? Well I think it’s just neat that you’ve been trailing these animals without getting caught and how you’ve avoided that question like it was no big deal. Even if it’s only been for a little while”

He flushed, “Well I, I mean I-”

She laughed again, “Don’t worry, Kitten, I just find it impressive.” as she said it she paused and turned her head to the side lightly, as if thinking, “Maybe we could work something out… You look like you might benefit from an extra set of eyes looking out for you and well, I’m not exactly known for leaving strays out alone. I’d also love to print out that picture for the Bat, it’d be a great way to end out next date.”

Tim flashed back to the newspaper, one of the main stories had been titled Kyle and Wayne On Again. He grinned, “I like to develop them on my own.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hi i died! not actually but school is a nightmare this year especially, im on break rn and had the motivation to write a tiny little stray thing before burying myself into review (chemistry and apush suck, collegeboard just wants my money and me dead tbh)
> 
> im hoping that by june ill be back up to posting semi regularly! i just dont have time to write until after my finals, but i am super excited to get back to updating my current works so dont worry about them being abandoned!
> 
> ill be trying to update occasionally at least, but because i cant promise anything rn just assume ill go back into my little pit until after may lol
> 
> love you all and i hope you all are a little less busy than me! xoxox <3


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